Shannon felt very much alone with the giant Headmaster who stood towering over his desk as he looked down on her. She then saw his eyes go up and look out the window behind her, watching the Judge as he crossed the grounds on his way out of the yard.

His stong unsmiling gaze returned to her and she shrank in the chair.

"Well, well, well pretty one, what am I to do with you?" he asked in a tone that left Shannon wanting to sprint for the door.

Shannon already didn’t like this brute of a man. She noted that the light from the window was glimmering off his head and made him look even meaner.

Meekly she stated, “The Judge said I would get a room and go play…” She hoped that her statement would appeal to his better discretion reminding him of what the Judge had just said about accomodations. She hoped but didn’t come to expect such a luxury from this intimidating beast. ‘Be brave’ she thought to herself.

The Headmaster sighed and looked out the window again, apparently ignoring her comment. He then did something peculiar. He straightened his posture and drummed a pen in his hand against the desk for a few moments while he was lost in thought.

Shannon was tight with anxiety, wondering what the rumored madman would do next.

The headmaster picked up a folder, apparently her file, and opened it, scanning the top page of its contents. He then looked down at her, and Shannon's skin crawled as he looked at all of her, slowly looking from her feet to her head.

He closed the folder and plopped it on the desk with a thwap and looked out the window again. It was only then that Shannon realized he was making a decision.

A decision to a question she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Suddenly, he burst from his position and Shannon leapt almost straight up out of her seat, her legs and hands trying to make her body form into an even smaller ball while sitting on the chair.

But the Headmaster didn't lunge for her, instead he merely walked briskly to his office door and slammed it open.

Shannon wasn’t sure what she did to upset the beast but he was apparently most irate. Perhaps the Judge’s words stuck with him….maybe since she really was innocent he had no provocation. Would he really need provocation though? The man had gained a notorious reputation and it wasn’t from being kind.

Regardless, Shannon had apparently avoided a beating and for that she was glad. She rested easy in knowing that as wicked as this man was, her father would easily best him in a fight. Shanteel was a bully, nothing more.

Shannon got off the chair and followed the man at a pace that would not give him any reason to complain. ‘No need to make a bad situation worse’ she thought. “Mister, when do we eat?” her curious nature caused her to ask.

The Headmaster ignored the girl as he lead her up a few flights of old pine stairs and then down a corridor. When he got to a door that he stopped at, he turned and merely looked at her as she caught up to him. They were hard steps to make for she felt she was walking straight at a ferocious beast.

As she reached him, he crouched down to be at eye level with her, she tried to back up but it was too late, for he had grabbed her by both arms.

"Listen up Deaconess[/b]." (OOC: Used in this fashion it is like someone spitting the word "Princess" at a spoiled girl) he said sternly.

"You are only important to the Church while they have use for you. When that is over, you will no longer be a concern to them or anyone else. So despite the confidence of the Judge, you better learn to behave like every other kid[/i] in this joint because one day soon..." he paused and got his face only an inch away from hers "...you won't matter."

His grip was strong and the venom he spat carried the cruel words straight to her heart and froze the little girl.

He stood up quickly and opened the door and stood bye it waiting for her to go inside.

Shannon stood there frightened of what this man could, and perhpas wanted, to do. 'Be brave' she said once again to herself. It seemed to be something she was continuously reminding herself of in this maelstrom of circumstances.

She wanted so badly to swear at the man but as her mother once told her, 'Kill them with kindness'. Shannon smirked slyly as she looked up at the beast- lately she was given to dehumanizing people she didn't like- batting her eyes and coyly said, "Thank you for all of your help and kindness mister sir. I'm sure Kaine looks upon you with pride." Regardless of the wrath that would inevitably come by this remark, Shannon felt it was worth the price. She had practically lost everything in the last few days. The one thing she would not surrender was her dignity.

Shanteel was so quick that Shannon almost had no sense of what happened until it was over.

The Headmaster thrust his hand into Shannon's crotch while at the same time his other hand gathered her blouse in his fist. With the calm demeanor of a man simply throwing out trash, he painfully hefted her body up and in an alarmingly swift and violent motion hurled her into the room. She tumbled through the air, the many beds and footlockers a mere blur as they passed bye. The force of the impact with the hard wood floor sent her flailing end over end until she slammed into the wall opposite side of the room.

Her eyes shut against the incredible pain in and on multiple places of her body. She heard the door slam and Shanteel's footsteps march away as blood began to stream from a cut on her lip.

Shannon winced at the pain of the tumble. Without thinking of it, she looked to see if her rolled up picture was damaged. To her relief, it was not. Somehow, amidst the toss, she managed to keep it safe.

Her lip swelled and began to pulse in time with her rapid heartbeat. ‘How brave of him to pick on a girl who is half his size’ she thought. She reached up and felt the cut on her lip and wiped the blood from her chin and looked at it. “Someday it will be your blood on my hands.” She whispered with dripping hatred as the innocence of her childhood fled from her. A smile crawled across her face as she remembered her words ‘You might send them to prison but their hearts will always be free…as will mine’ Her own words brought her comfort. She had to take caution not to become their prisoner…to not give in to them no matter the cost.

However, with the comfort came an anger. It was not the kind she had felt until now. The last few days had brought out something in Shannon that was alien to her. She was uncertain if she liked it. Regardless, it was there. Normally she would have put that energy into her artwork but that was not a luxury available to her at the moment. The monster within grew fierce and enraged. Taking care to put her rolled pen work down, she stood up and began to walk towards the door clenching her fist.

She stood in front of the door and stared at it. Her mind concentrated on a particular nick in the wood. She focused, analyzed, and nearly burned a hole through the innocent door. She began to breath deep and reveled in the energy building up. Shannon pulled back her little fist and channeled her energy, her rage, her hate, and her fear into her hand and let it fly into the door. (OOC: Psionic Fist Feat)

A loud thud came from the impact and Shannon’s hand hurt tremendously. Her knuckles were bloody and even her arm hurt…but the release of the anger was glorious and well worth the pain. She looked at the door and saw a small fracture in the fibers. It wasn’t enough to notice at a casual glance but it was there nevertheless.

With the pain came the realization of Shannon’s surroundings. She was in a community sleeping quarters and was well aware that she may not, in fact, be alone. Slowly her head turned to survey the room and any company that might have seen her outburst.

The room held eight bunk beds for up to sixteen children to sleep in. Each bed had a pair of footlockers for the girls possesions. All of them were open and empty but one. Behind her, in the corner next to a window, the only other person in the whole room sat in the bottom bunk, her eyes wide as she stared at her in scared wonder.

A small girl who looked about her age, with shoulder length brown hair gawked at her and pulled a sheet to her eyes for protection.

Shannon was unsure of what to say. The girl before her looked frightened hiding under her sheet and only peering out. Clearly she was alarmed at both Shannon being treated harshly and her resulting fit on the door.

“That beast needs a lesson in manners, I think” Shannon remarked pointing her thumb back towards the door. “Does he really treat all of the kids here that way?” she asked the mousy girl.

Shannon cocked her head as she thought about the girl’s question for a minute. She honestly wasn’t sure how she did it as it had come naturally to her in the heat of rage.

She glanced back towards the door recounting the situation. Still puzzled she replied, “I…I don’t know. I was just so tootin mad that I had to punch something…I mean, I don’t have my art pens with me so I had to do something.”

Again Shannon surveyed the room. There was enough space for fourteen other people here and yet this girl was alone. “Will we be the only ones in this room or are there others? It seems like such a large space for only two people. Oh, and I’m Shannon by the way.” Shannon walked to the girl and held out her hand in greetings.